Summaries of Officers Feloniously Killed
Note: Occasionally, the Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted Program is unable to publish summaries concerning some officers who are feloniously killed in the line of duty. These situations may stem from insufficient information, gag orders issued by the courts, or other unusual circumstances. Although a written summary of the deaths of 10 law enforcement officers who were killed in 2016 are not included in this publication, all available information is included where applicable in the data tables.
AK | AR | AZ | CA | CO | GA | IN | IA | LA | MD | MA | MI | MS
MO | NM | NY | NC | ND | OH | OR | PA | SC | TN | TX | UT | VA | WI
Alaska
Just after midnight on October 16, a 34-year-old sergeant with the Fairbanks Police Department was shot and fatally wounded while investigating a suspicious person. The veteran sergeant, who had nearly 12 years of law enforcement experience, was responding to a call of shots fired at a hotel. As the sergeant contacted an individual in the area, the man pulled out a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun and fired seven rounds at the sergeant. The sergeant returned fire with his service weapon. At some point, the victim sergeant fell over a curb, and both the sergeant and the suspect ran out of ammunition. The suspect then stomped on the victim sergeant, took his service weapon, and drove off in his patrol unit. The victim sergeant, who was wearing body armor, was shot in the front of the head, the front upper torso/chest, and in the front below his waist. The victim sergeant’s patrol unit was later found a few blocks from the hotel. After two days of investigation, a 29-year-old was arrested without incident on October 18. He was charged with First-Degree Murder, two counts of Second-Degree Murder, First-Degree Motor Vehicle Theft, Second-Degree Theft, two counts of Tampering with Evidence, Second-Degree Misconduct Involving Weapons, and Third-Degree Misconduct Involving Weapons. The suspect, who was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident, had a prior criminal record including a weapons violation. The sergeant was taken to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries on October 28.
Arkansas
On August 10, around 7:40 a.m., a corporal with the Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) was shot and killed in an ambush (entrapment and premeditation). The 66-year-old corporal, who was a veteran of law enforcement with 20 years’ experience, was part of a team of six officers that had been dispatched with regard to a 911 call from a man who reported his son had stolen some tools and pulled a gun on him. At 7:08 a.m., the officers arrived at a rural residence to find the suspect on the porch with a rifle, which he pointed at the officers before retreating into the residence. The officers noted the suspect was wearing some type of ballistic vest, and they began to take perimeter positions at the residence. (It was subsequently revealed the suspect was agitated because he was due in court later that day on a Petition to Revoke a Suspended Sentence.) At 7:16 a.m., officers reported to dispatch the suspect was firing on them from within the residence. Additional officers, representing various agencies, arrived to assist. At 7:39 a.m., the suspect shot the corporal in the neck/throat above his body armor as he was seeking cover behind the rear corner of a mobile home located approximately 125 feet from the suspect’s residence. (The round traveled through the mobile home and struck the buttstock of the deputy’s rifle before striking him.) Five more officers reported to the scene to help extract the wounded corporal. The additional officers also came under fire from the suspect, and the chief of police of the Hackett Police Department (HPD), a veteran of law enforcement with 13 years of experience, was hit as he was exiting his cruiser more than 300 feet away from the suspect. The 42-year-old chief, who was wearing body armor, sustained a gunshot wound to the head. While still under fire, members of the arriving group extracted the wounded chief from the scene. At nearly the same time, members of the SCSO SWAT team were able to locate the wounded corporal at a rear corner of the residence and take him to the emergency medical area. Both wounded officers were taken to a nearby hospital where the chief was treated and released for his head wound, and the corporal was taken to surgery. The corporal succumbed to his wounds later that afternoon. Meanwhile, the suspect refused negotiations and continued shooting at officers until he finally surrendered to authorities just before noon. After the suspect was taken into custody, officers found explosives, nine firearms, and a stockpile of ammunition, which included an estimated 20,000 rounds for the .223-caliber semiautomatic handgun the suspect allegedly used to kill the victim corporal. The 34-year-old suspect was charged with Capital Murder; five counts of Attempted Capital Murder; four counts of Battery in the First Degree; two counts of Possession of a Firearm by Certain Persons; Killing an Animal Used in Law Enforcement; Criminal Mischief; and Failure to Appear. He has a prior criminal record which includes a violent crime, weapons violation, and drug law violation. The wounded chief has since returned to duty.
Arizona
Shortly after 3 p.m. on May 18, a 34-year-old officer with the Phoenix Police Department was shot in an ambush (entrapment and premeditation) and later died. Around 2:30 p.m., a man placed a 911 call about a burglary. The man said his son had broken into his residence and stolen a gun. He also said he received a text from his son that stated he would shoot it out with the police if they were called. The caller also reported his son was under the influence of narcotics. The officer, a law enforcement veteran of nearly 12 years, was among seven officers who gathered near the suspect’s home. They observed a vehicle with tinted windows in the driveway matching the description the father provided for the suspect’s vehicle. The officers, in marked police units, converged on the home to set up a perimeter. The suspect, who was sitting in the driver’s seat of the vehicle in the driveway, fired a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun at the first officer to exit his vehicle. The victim officer, who was wearing body armor, was shot in the back of the head and in the rear below his waist. He immediately dropped to the ground. The other officers exchanged gunfire with the suspect until he ceased firing. The 20-year-old offender, who had no known criminal history, died at the scene. Two officers went to the aid of the victim officer. They placed him in a police vehicle and removed him from the area. The victim officer was then taken by ambulance to a local hospital where he died early the next day from the gunshot wound to the back of his head.
*****
At 1:30 p.m. on November 8, a 50-year-old police officer with the Show Low Police Department (SLPD) was shot and killed while responding to a disturbance call. Earlier that morning, the officer, who was a veteran of law enforcement with nearly 20 years’ experience, responded to a local motel where staff had reported patrons acting suspiciously and had requested their removal. The officer initially responded with his commander; however, they were unable to locate the subjects, so the officers left the motel. Ninety minutes later, motel staff called a second time and advised that the subjects had returned, and one of them was in the lobby. The officer and the commander returned to the motel along with an SLPD chief. The commander was advised that one of the subjects had run upstairs into the bar area. The officer encountered the subject leaving the back of the bar. When the commander and the chief arrived at the back of the bar, the man produced a .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun and pointed it at them. The officers ordered the individual to drop his weapon. The man put the handgun away and was complying with the officers’ commands when he suddenly fled from the officers with his hands in the air. The commander and the chief chased the man around one side of the building as the officer ran around the opposite side. During the chase, the man again pointed the handgun at the commander and the chief before disappearing from sight. The officer, who was coming around the opposite side of the building, encountered the subject. The man fired 9 rounds; one fatally struck the victim officer, who was wearing body armor, in the front of his head. The commander heard the gunshots and discovered the victim officer on the ground. The suspect fled, but the chief stayed with the victim officer as the commander radioed information regarding the suspect’s description and last known direction. The victim officer was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased. Information led officers to a cabin in Lakeside where the suspect was holding a hostage. The first officers on the scene saw the suspect pointing a gun to a young female’s head. Officers surrounded the cabin and attempted to negotiate with the suspect. The suspect refused to cooperate and sporadically fired rounds from inside the cabin in the direction of the officers, striking police vehicles. Ultimately, officers turned the scene over to the Department of Public Safety’s SWAT team. After several hours of negotiations, SWAT team members attempted to apprehend the suspect. The suspect exchanged gunfire with the SWAT team and was justifiably killed. Officers recovered the 15-year-old hostage and transported her to the hospital. The 36-year-old suspect had a prior criminal record including a violent crime and drug law violation.
California
A 53-year-old sergeant with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department was shot and killed while responding to a burglary in progress around 12:30 p.m. on October 5 in Lancaster. The veteran sergeant, who had 29 years of law enforcement experience, was wearing his body armor when he responded to the call. The subject fired five rounds from a .38-caliber revolver and struck the sergeant in the front upper torso/chest and fatally in the front of his head. Additional responding officers exchanged gunfire with the 27-year-old subject, who was wounded and taken into custody. The man was on parole and under the influence of narcotics at the time of the incident. He was charged with Murder of a Law Enforcement Officer, Attempted Murder of a Law Enforcement Officer, Robbery, and Kidnapping. He had a criminal history which included a violent crime, drug law violation, and weapons violation.
*****
A 50-year-old deputy sheriff with the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) was killed while investigating a suspicious person in Hughson on November 13. At 8:25 a.m., the deputy, a 19-year veteran of law enforcement, was patrolling the area in a marked police unit when he radioed dispatch and provided the license plate number of a suspicious vehicle he was about to pull over. Moments later, dispatchers advised that the vehicle had been reported stolen and the suspect was possibly armed and dangerous. When the deputy failed to respond to several radio calls, dispatchers requested assistance from units in the area. Another SCSO deputy arrived and found the victim deputy lying on his back on the ground. The victim deputy, who was wearing body armor, had been shot at close range in the side of his head and in his neck/throat. His electronic control weapon was beside his hand in the “off” position—it had not been deployed. The responding deputy found two shell casings from a .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun beside the victim deputy and radioed to report an officer was down and the stolen vehicle was gone. Additional officers and emergency services personnel arrived, and first aid was administered. The victim deputy was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased as a result of the fatal wound to the side of his head. Crime scene investigators found the suspect’s driver’s license on top of the laptop in the victim deputy’s patrol vehicle. Approximately 10 minutes after dispatch was radioed about the victim deputy, they received a 911 call about a home invasion in Ceres. The resident advised that a man had forced his way into his home and announced police were looking for him because he had killed his own family. The suspect brandished a firearm, stole the resident’s vehicle, and fled. Dispatchers issued an updated statewide alert for the suspect and information regarding the latest stolen vehicle. When responding officers arrived, the victim of the robbery had sketched a picture of the robber that officers recognized to be the man wanted for shooting the victim deputy. A helicopter was called in to search for the suspect and the stolen vehicles. The stolen vehicle that was used to flee the shooting scene was found near the area of the home invasion. At 12:34 p.m., officers from the Lindsay Police Department (LDP) contacted the Stanislaus County dispatch and advised they had responded to an armed robbery at a market that involved the suspect in the shooting. The armed robbery was in Lindsay, which is approximately 2½ hours south of Hughson. After the suspect left the market, he attempted to rob a citizen, but the person fought him off and called 911. Officers from the LPD responded to the scene and located the suspect, who surrendered. At the time of his arrest, the suspect possessed a .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun from which two rounds had been discharged from the magazine. The 37-year-old suspect was arrested and charged with First-Degree Murder by Shooting from a Motor Vehicle, Burglary, Taking a Motor Vehicle without Owner’s Consent, and Felon in Possession of a Firearm. The suspect, who was known to use and possess drugs, had a previous criminal record and convictions, including charges for a violent crime, weapons violation, and drug law violation.
*****
Just after 1 p.m. on October 8, two police officers with the Palm Springs Police Department were shot and fatally wounded in an ambush (entrapment and premeditation). A third officer was shot and injured. A 63-year-old police officer, a veteran of law enforcement with more than 30 years’ experience, was dispatched to a residence where a woman’s son was allegedly causing a disturbance. A 27-year-old police officer, with nearly 2 years of law enforcement experience, also responded. When they arrived at the scene, the suspect threatened to shoot the officers through the door . After a request for backup, two additional officers came to assist. One of the four officers attempted to gather further information from the suspect’s parents outside the residence, and the other three officers approached the front doors (which included a screen door and a solid door behind). As the 63-year-old veteran officer attempted to open the screen door, someone inside yelled, “Don’t do it, don’t do it!” The suspect then fired rounds from a .223-caliber rifle through the front door. As the three officers ran for cover, the 27-year-old officer was hit by gunfire and fell to the ground. The officer who was talking to the suspect’s parents took cover at the south side of the residence and radioed that an officer was down. The officers went to retrieve rifles from their patrol units. The 63-year-old officer’s head was bleeding, but he also attempted to get his rifle. In the process, he was struck by gunfire and immediately fell to the ground. One of the other two officers, a 35-year-old veteran with 6 years’ law enforcement experience and wearing body armor, was also struck by gunfire and wounded in the rear below his waist (right calf and left hip area). The wounded 35-year-old officer and the other backup officer continued to exchange gunfire with the suspect. Two more officers arrived and assisted in removing the downed officers from the scene. These officers were transported in patrol units to paramedics staged a block away, and then to the hospital. Both victim officers succumbed to their wounds that day. The 27-year-old police officer had been shot below the waist and fatally in the rear lower torso/back with a round exceeding her body armor’s specifications. The 63-year-old officer had been shot in the front of his head, the side of his head, and fatally in the front upper torso/chest where a round entered through the shoulder area of his body armor. The 35-year-old officer was also transported to a local hospital where he was treated for his wounds. At the time this incident was reported to the FBI, he had not returned to duty.
After shooting the officers, the suspect barricaded himself inside the residence. The SWAT team from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department was called to the scene. Several hours passed without any communication. A search warrant was obtained, and the SWAT team sent a robot inside the residence to locate the suspect, who was believed to be hiding in the attic. When the SWAT team was unable to locate anyone inside, they deployed tear gas into the residence. The suspect, who was wearing body armor, climbed out of a bedroom window. He did not comply with the SWAT team’s commands and was shot with nonlethal ammunition before being apprehended. The 26-year-old suspect was on probation at the time of the incident and was known to use drugs. He was taken to the hospital, but soon released to law enforcement. The suspect was charged with two counts of Murder and three counts of Attempted Murder. He had a prior criminal record which included a murder, drug law violation, weapons violation, and an assaulting an officer/resisting arrest charge.
*****
A 43-year-old police officer with the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) was killed and a 32-year-old police officer with the SDPD was wounded shortly before 11 p.m. on July 28, while investigating a suspicious person. The pair were in their patrol unit when they saw two males in the middle of a street walking away from each other. One of the men was carrying a white plastic bag with something solid inside. The 43-year-old police officer, a veteran of law enforcement with nearly 16 years of experience, stopped the patrol unit slightly behind the man with the bag. The 32-year-old officer, a veteran of law enforcement with 9 years of experience, exited the passenger’s side of the patrol unit and asked the man where he lived. The man turned and fired at the 32-year-old officer, who was wearing body armor, with a .380-caliber semiautomatic handgun. A round struck the officer in the neck/throat and he fell onto his back near the passenger side at the rear of the patrol unit. The assailant continued to fire his weapon while advancing on the other officer, who was still sitting in the driver’s seat. The assailant entered the patrol unit’s open door on the passenger’s side and shot the 43-year-old officer at close range in the rear of his head, his front upper torso/chest, and his arms/hands. The victim officer was wearing body armor, but a round entered through the armhole or shoulder area of the vest. The injured officer outside of the vehicle was able to draw his service weapon and fire on the fleeing assailant, striking him with one of the rounds. Responding officers found the 43-year-old victim officer slumped over in the driver’s seat. He was taken by ambulance to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased. The other injured officer was taken by ambulance to a local hospital and suffered a collapsed lung. At the time this incident was reported to the FBI, the injured officer had not returned to duty. Officers located the 52-year-old assailant later on the day of the incident. He was arrested and charged with Murder, Attempted Murder, and Felon in Possession of a Firearm. The assailant, who had a prior criminal record including a violent crime, drug law violation, and weapons violation, was under the influence of narcotics at the time of the incident.
Colorado
A 40-year-old deputy sheriff with the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office died on February 10, from wounds he suffered while responding to a disturbance call two days earlier. Shortly after 11 a.m. on February 8, the veteran deputy, who had 14 years of law enforcement experience, responded to a report of a subject firing a gun. The deputy located the subject, approached him, and advised him that he was being detained. The subject attempted to pull away, so the deputy deployed his electronic control weapon. The device completed its cycle, but the subject was still able to fire multiple rounds at the deputy with a .22-caliber semiautomatic handgun. The victim deputy, who was wearing body armor, was struck several times, including in his arms/hands and the front of his head. The suspect fled on foot as backup deputies arrived at the scene. The deputies rendered aid to the victim deputy until emergency medical services arrived and transported him to a local hospital. Law enforcement apprehended the suspect within the hour. The victim deputy succumbed to his injuries two days later. The 17-year-old suspect, who had a prior criminal record including a violent crime and drug law violation, was arrested and charged with Attempted Second-Degree Homicide and Possession of a Weapon by a Previous Offender. At the time of the incident, he was on probation and under the influence of narcotics.
*****
On February 24 at 9:30 a.m., three officers with the Park County Sheriff’s Office were shot during a tactical situation to serve an eviction notice. A 35-year-old corporal, who was a 13-year veteran of law enforcement, was killed; and a captain and a master patrol deputy were both injured during the incident. As the officers attempted to serve the eviction notice, the offender fired on them with a .45-caliber semiautomatic rifle. The corporal was fatally wounded when a round entered his front upper torso/chest through the armhole or shoulder area of his body armor. The 51-year-old captain was struck in the side of his head and the 43-year-old master patrol deputy was shot multiple times in the front lower torso/stomach and in the front below his waist. Both of these officers were 21-year veterans of law enforcement, and both were also wearing body armor. The captain and the deputy were transported to the hospital and treated for their injuries. The 59-year-old suspect was justifiably killed at the scene. At the time this incident was reported to the FBI, the captain was back to work, but the deputy had not yet returned to duty.
Georgia
A 30-year-old patrol officer with the Eastman Police Department was shot and killed on August 13 while investigating a suspicious person. Around 9:30 p.m., the Dodge County 911 center received a call reporting that a man on the street who was selling drugs had pulled a gun on another man. The veteran patrol officer, who had more than 6 years of law enforcement experience, was dispatched to the call. A few minutes later, the officer called back to say he had observed a subject fitting the description of the alleged drug dealer. The officer activated his lights and exited his patrol unit as he gave verbal commands to the suspect to walk toward the vehicle and place his hands on it. Immediately, the suspect shot the victim officer in the front upper torso/chest with a 9 mm handgun. Responding officers found the victim officer on the ground beside his patrol unit, but no sign of the suspect. The victim officer was taken to a nearby medical center where he died from his wound later that night. Agents from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) responded to the scene. Subsequently, witnesses identified the suspect from video recorded by the patrol unit’s dashboard camera. Eyewitnesses told investigators they heard shots and saw the suspect flee the scene with a gun in his hand. It was later learned that the suspect was hiding in one of the houses that were canvassed by GBI that evening, but the residents did not answer the door. On August 14, the GBI secured a murder warrant for the suspect. On August 15, the suspect was found hiding in the trunk of his sister’s car, as she and her boyfriend were allegedly driving him to Florida. All three were arrested. The 24-year-old suspect was charged with Murder. He had a prior criminal record including a violent crime and was on probation at the time of the incident.
*****
At 5:30 p.m. on November 6, a 41-year-old sergeant and a 39-year-old deputy sheriff with the Peach County Sheriff’s Office were fatally wounded while answering a disturbance call in Byron. The sergeant was a veteran of law enforcement with nearly 17 years of experience; and the deputy was a veteran with 13 years of law enforcement experience. The officers first spoke with the residents who had called 911 and had reported their neighbor threatened them with a firearm while they were riding their 4-wheeler. The sergeant and deputy then went to the neighbor’s residence and spoke with him. After a brief conversation, the sergeant advised the man he was under arrest. The man pulled a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun from under the right side of his shirt and shot the sergeant and the deputy at close range. Both officers were wearing body armor at the time of the incident. The sergeant was fatally wounded in the front of the head and the deputy was wounded in the front lower torso/stomach, in the front below the waist, and fatally in the front of his head. The original complainant heard gunshots from the neighboring residence and again called 911. Three Byron Police Department (BPD) units responded and the suspect fired a rifle at them. The BPD officers returned fire and the suspect was struck and apprehended. The victim sergeant succumbed to his injuries that day, and the victim deputy died on November 8. The 57-year-old suspect was charged with two counts of Murder and three counts of Aggravated Assault. He had a prior criminal record including a violent crime.
*****
At 11:30 a.m. on February 11, a 50-year-old major with the Riverdale Police Department was shot while assisting with a drug-related no-knock search warrant. As the Clayton County Drug Task Force and the Clayton County Police SWAT team were executing the warrant at an apartment in Riverdale, the major, a law enforcement veteran with 25 years of experience, observed an individual running from the apartment. He exited his patrol unit and ran diagonally to intercept the fleeing individual. When the major encountered the individual at the end of another building, the 24-year-old subject fired four rounds from a handgun, striking the victim major in the front below the waist, rear below the waist, arms/hands, and fatally in the front lower torso/stomach. The suspect was in possession of a .38-caliber revolver and a .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun; the investigation did not determine which weapon was used to fire the fatal shot. The suspect, who had a prior criminal record including a violent crime, drug law violation, and weapons violation, was justifiably killed during the ensuing chase. The victim major was transported to a local hospital where he died.
Indiana
A deputy sheriff with the Howard County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) was fatally wounded, and an HCSO corporal was injured on March 20 during a tactical situation that occurred at 12:40 a.m. in Russiaville. The 26-year-old deputy, who had nearly 3 years of law enforcement experience, and the 34-year-old corporal, a veteran with nearly 10 years of law enforcement experience, reported to a residence with four other officers to serve a search warrant and an arrest warrant. The officers knocked on the door of the residence and announced themselves before entering. As they entered, the deputy and the corporal located the subject of the warrants locked inside a bedroom. The two officers tried to open the bedroom door but were met with gunfire from a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun and a .357-caliber revolver. The suspect fired nine times, and each officer was struck by one round from the handgun. The deputy was fatally struck in the front below the waist, and the corporal was hit in the rear below the waist. The victim officers, who were wearing body armor, returned fire but were unable to subdue the suspect because he was hiding behind a furnace. The gunfire ceased when the suspect died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. The victim officers were taken to an area hospital, where the deputy died. The corporal recovered from his injury and has returned to service. The 25-year-old suspect was on probation and under the influence of narcotics at the time of the incident. He was a known drug user and dealer, and had a prior criminal record including a drug law violation and an assaulting an officer/resisting arrest charge.
Iowa
A 24-year-old police officer with the Urbandale Police Department (UPD) was shot and killed in an ambush (entrapment and premeditation) just after 1 a.m. on November 2. A short time later, a 38-year-old sergeant with the Des Moines Police Department (DMPD) was killed in a similar attack. While the UPD officer was on patrol, dispatchers received reports of shots fired. The UPD officer had not been dispatched to an incident nor had he contacted dispatchers with any type of self-initiated activity. Civilians found the victim officer, who had 1 year of law enforcement experience, sitting in his patrol vehicle. He had fatal gunshot wounds to the side of his head, as well as wounds to the front upper torso/chest from rounds that penetrated his body armor—the rounds exceeded the vest’s specifications. Minutes later, in Des Moines, the DMPD sergeant was killed in a similar attack as he sat in his patrol vehicle. The victim sergeant, a 15-year veteran of law enforcement, suffered wounds to the front of his head, neck/throat, front upper torso/chest, rear upper torso/back, and arms/hands. Rounds also penetrated the victim sergeant’s body armor because they exceeded the vest’s specifications. Investigators discovered approximately 27 rounds were fired at the victim officer, and about 30 rounds were fired at the victim sergeant. All of the rounds came from a 5.56 mm semiautomatic rifle. Investigators quickly identified a suspect, who was captured in a nearby county a few hours after the shootings. The 46-year-old suspect was arrested and charged with two counts of First-Degree Murder. He had a prior criminal record, which included a violent crime, but had no known relationship with either victim officer.
Louisiana
A police officer and a corporal from the Baton Rouge Police Department (BRPD) and a deputy sheriff with the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office (EBRPSO) were killed on July 17 in Baton Rouge during an ambush (entrapment and premeditation). A sergeant and a corporal, both with the EBRPSO, and an officer with the BRPD were also injured. Approximately 8:40 a.m., the BRPD received a call about an individual carrying a rifle near a shopping plaza. (Louisiana had a gun law allowing open carry at the time.) Authorities planned to question the individual, but had no known cause to take him into custody. Minutes after the call, a 41-year-old police officer and a 32-year-old corporal from the BRPD, and a 45-year-old deputy with the EBRPSO arrived near the shopping plaza behind a building next to a gas station. The individual spotted them from at least 50 feet away and began shooting at them with a .223-caliber semiautomatic rifle. The BRPD corporal, who was a veteran of law enforcement with 10 years’ experience, was struck in the front of the head and in the front upper torso/chest. The rounds exceeded the specifications of the body armor the victim corporal was wearing, penetrating the vest and killing him instantly. Rounds also struck the BRPD officer, who had 9 months of law enforcement experience. The rounds also exceeded his body armor’s specifications, penetrating his vest and wounding him. The injured officer was able to crawl behind the building. The EBRPSO deputy, who was a veteran with more than 24 years of experience in law enforcement, ran to the victim officer’s aid. The assailant then stepped from around the corner of the back of the building and shot the EBRPSO deputy, wounding him. The victim deputy fell to the ground, but was able to fire 13 rounds from his .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun. None struck the assailant, who then killed the deputy. The victim deputy had wounds to the front, rear, and side of his head; neck/throat; front upper torso/chest; rear upper torso/back; front below his waist; and rear below his waist. The victim deputy was wearing body armor, but rounds entered above his vest. The injured BRPD officer moved a bit, and the assailant shot him twice more, killing him. His wounds were in the side of his head and in his front upper torso/chest. By this point, a second BRPD officer arrived and had pulled up in front of the building. The assailant shot and wounded him; however, details of his injuries were not known at the time of this report. The suspect then retreated toward his vehicle, using businesses and nearby woods for cover. He opened fire on a 41-year-old corporal with the EBRPSO, a veteran with nearly 18 years of law enforcement experience, who had just returned to his patrol unit to run the license plate of the suspect’s vehicle. The corporal was struck and wounded in his arms/hands, in the side of his head, and in the front lower torso/stomach. He was wearing body armor, but a round entered below the vest. The suspect then shot at a 57-year-old EBRPSO sergeant, who was also wearing body armor and was a 23-year veteran of law enforcement, wounding him in the arms/hands. Officers from the BRPD SWAT team arrived. Using the patrol vehicles as cover, a member of the SWAT team fired from approximately 100 yards away and killed the 29-year-old suspect. The suspect had a prior criminal record. A subsequent investigation revealed that the suspect intended to attack the BRPD headquarters, which was nearby, and continue to kill officers. At the time this incident was reported to the FBI, neither the injured EBRPSO corporal nor the EBRPSO sergeant had returned to duty.
*****
A detective with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office died shortly after 1 p.m. on June 22 after he was shot while investigating a suspicious person in Harvey. The 50-year-old detective, a veteran of law enforcement who had more than 9 years of experience, came into contact with a man at an intersection at 12:21 p.m. A struggle ensued. The assailant produced a .38-caliber revolver and fired three rounds before fleeing the scene on foot. All three rounds struck the victim detective in the rear upper torso/back. The detective radioed for help, and responding officers found him on the ground. He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. The 19-year-old suspect, who had a prior criminal record including a weapons violation, was arrested a short time later. He was charged with First-Degree Murder and Aggravated Assault with a Firearm.
Maryland
On February 10, two Harford County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) senior deputies were shot and killed while investigating a suspicious person. The first senior deputy, a 52-year-old veteran of law enforcement with 30 years’ experience, responded just before noon to a 911 call concerning a wanted person located inside a local restaurant. He arrived at the restaurant and radioed dispatch that he was about to approach the subject. A few minutes later, another HCSO deputy arrived at the scene and discovered that the senior deputy, who was wearing body armor, had been shot in the front of the head with a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun. The deputy alerted dispatch that an officer was down. Numerous units from the HCSO and other jurisdictions converged on the area and attempted to locate the suspect. A witness to the incident informed the deputies the suspect had fled on foot in the direction of a nearby residential complex. The deputies searched the area around the complex, and shortly after noon, spotted the suspect sitting in the driver’s seat of a vehicle parked in the parking lot of the complex. The deputies exchanged gunfire with the suspect. During the exchange, the second senior deputy, a 43-year-old law enforcement veteran with 16 years of experience, was struck in the front lower torso/stomach and fatally in the rear below the waist below his body armor. Both senior deputies were transported to an area hospital where they were pronounced deceased. The 68-year-old suspect, who had a prior criminal record, was also struck during the exchange of gunfire and died at the scene.
Massachusetts
A 42-year-old patrol officer with the Auburn Police Department was fatally wounded during a traffic stop shortly before 12:30 a.m. on May 22. Later that day, during the subsequent search for the suspect, a 43-year-old trooper from the Massachusetts State Police (MSP) in Framingham was shot and injured. At 12:25 a.m., the veteran patrol officer, who had nearly 8 years of law enforcement experience, radioed he had initiated a traffic stop. He reported he ran a check on the vehicle’s license plate, but the plate came back as belonging on a different vehicle. Minutes later, he yelled over the radio “shots fired,” then, “I’m hit.” Two officers responded within minutes and found the wounded officer near his vehicle, which was still running with its emergency lights activated. The two officers administered aid until an ambulance arrived at the scene. The victim officer, who had been wearing body armor, was taken to a local hospital where he died a few hours later from a gunshot wound from a .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun. He had been wounded in his rear lower torso/back below his protective vest. Dispatchers sent out a “be on the lookout” call for the vehicle and accompanying license plate, and the same information was shared with the public. About 10 a.m. the same morning, a man contacted the Oxford Police Department to report a vehicle matching the description, but with no license plate. The caller saw the driver of the vehicle enter a nearby residence. Members of the MSP Fugitive Apprehension Section and the MSP Drug Unit, Worcester Narcotics Unit, began surveillance on the address around 10:30 a.m. Early in the afternoon, members of the MSP Tactical Team positioned an armored response vehicle in front of the address and tried to negotiate with the suspect in an attempt to get him to surrender peacefully. Using infrared technology, the tactical team determined the suspect had tunneled from the residence into an adjacent living space of the duplex, and they believed the man was on the second floor. After 4 hours of attempting to negotiate with the suspect, members of the tactical team entered the duplex and searched for the suspect. When members of the team reached the second floor, the suspect exited the closet of a second-floor bedroom and fired 9 rounds at the team members with his handgun, striking the 43-year-old MSP trooper in his arms/hands. The trooper was a veteran of law enforcement with more than 11 years’ experience and was wearing body armor at the time of the incident. The suspect continued firing until his ammunition ran out. Team members returned fire, wounding the suspect. The 35-year-old suspect was apprehended and taken to a local hospital where he died of his injuries. He had been on probation and was under the influence of narcotics at the time of the incident. He also had a prior criminal record, which included a violent crime, drug law violation, weapons violation, and an assaulting an officer/resisting arrest charge. The wounded trooper was taken to the hospital where he underwent surgery. He has since returned to duty.
Michigan
Around 6:30 p.m. on November 22, a 29-year-old police officer with the Wayne State University Police Department (WSUPD) was fatally wounded during an investigative activity in Detroit. The officer, a law enforcement veteran with over 5 years’ experience and who was wearing body armor, was on patrol when he advised the dispatcher he was conducting a street investigation and requested backup. Another WSUPD officer arrived at the scene minutes later and found the victim officer lying in the street in front of his patrol unit. The victim officer had a gunshot wound to the side of his head from a .38-caliber revolver. The assisting officer immediately notified dispatch an officer was down and he needed assistance. Additional units arrived at the scene, and officers placed the victim officer in a patrol vehicle and transported him to a local hospital, where he died the following day. At the time this incident was reported to the FBI, the offender had not been identified, and the case remains under investigation.
Mississippi
Shortly after midnight on February 20, a 44-year-old agent with the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics (MBN), Greenwood District, was shot and killed during a tactical situation. The agent, a veteran of law enforcement with more than 22 years of experience, responded to a residence where a man had threatened law enforcement and was barricaded inside. The agent was accompanied by the Mississippi Highway Patrol (MHP) SWAT team including a 39-year-old veteran trooper with more than 9 years of law enforcement experience, a 38-year-old veteran lieutenant with 16 years of law enforcement experience, and a 35-year-old veteran corporal with more than 7 years of law enforcement experience. Around 5 p.m. the previous day, a family member called 911 to report a domestic incident at the location. Law enforcement arrived and learned the man’s wife and young child were barricaded in the residence with him. Officers began negotiations with the man, but he refused to release his wife and child. Sometime after midnight, following several hours of negotiations, the SWAT team developed a plan to enter the residence. Two groups of SWAT members attempted to enter: one through the front door and one through the side door. The lieutenant’s team successfully entered the residence through the side door and was met with gunfire. The lieutenant was in the living room of the house when he was struck with a projectile and injured. The group, which included the MBN agent and the MHP SWAT team trooper and corporal, attempted to enter through the front door, but it was barricaded. The suspect used a 7.62x39 mm semiautomatic rifle to shoot at the officers as they stood on the front porch. The MBN veteran agent was fatally wounded in the front upper torso/chest by a round that entered above his body armor. He was pronounced deceased at the scene. The MHP SWAT team trooper, lieutenant, and corporal were each struck in the front of their bodies below the waist, but survived their injuries. At the time this incident was reported to the FBI, none of the injured SWAT team members had returned to duty. The 45-year-old suspect, who was under the influence of drugs at the time of the incident, was justifiably killed by law enforcement. He was known to suffer from a mental illness and had a prior criminal record which included a violent crime.
Missouri
A 55-year-old deputy sheriff with the St. Francois County Sheriff’s Department died on July 4, from injuries he sustained approximately 8 months earlier while investigating suspicious persons or circumstances in Bonne Terre. Just before 9:30 a.m. on October 27, 2015, the veteran deputy, with 23 years of law enforcement experience, had finished delivering some civil processes when he noticed two trucks parked on a dirt road near a creek. The county had recently experienced burglaries and vandalism in the area, and the location was frequently used for illegal dumping. The deputy decided to stop and investigate. He spoke first with a man standing near the larger of the two trucks before he moved around and spoke with a male and female at the front of the smaller truck. The pair told the deputy that approximately 30 minutes earlier, they had taken a small pickup truck down the dirt road, and it had gotten stuck in sand near the creek. The man called his friend (who had the larger pickup truck) for help. They said the friend came and pulled out the small truck, but now the small truck would not start. The deputy, who was wearing body armor, did not see a tow chain and at one point during the contact, the small truck did start. The deputy asked the couple with the small truck for identification. The female provided her identification, but the male said he did not have any. The deputy told the man to walk with him to his patrol vehicle so he could write down the man’s identifying information. The man complied and began to follow the deputy. When the pair reached the front driver’s side of the patrol unit, the man ran away from the officer toward the larger pickup truck which belonged to the other man. The officer began chasing the man and radioed dispatch advising them he was in a foot pursuit. No one was in the idling larger truck, and the man jumped in and began driving the truck toward the officer. The deputy yelled for the man to stop and when he did not, the deputy drew his weapon and fired seven rounds at the windshield of the truck. The man did not stop, instead he accelerated toward the officer, who was standing in the middle of the road. The deputy moved to his right to get out of the way, but the man steered the vehicle toward him, striking the deputy with the vehicle before fleeing. The victim deputy flew through the air and landed approximately 4-5 feet from the edge of the road. He fired his weapon at the truck as it drove away. The victim deputy contacted dispatchers and provided a description of the truck and the direction of travel. Emergency personnel arrived and transported the injured deputy to a local hospital. Later that day, officers responded to a call of a vehicle driving erratically and discovered it was the stolen truck. A pursuit ensued and ended in a rural area approximately 30 minutes away. The suspect abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot. Assisting officers arrived on scene and began searching the vehicle; there were bullet holes in the hood and windshield. The 48-year-old suspect, who had a prior criminal record including a drug law violation and an assaulting an officer/resisting arrest charge, was arrested the day after the incident and charged with Assault on a Law Enforcement Officer.
*****
Shortly after 5 a.m. on October 6, a 33-year-old police officer with the St. Louis County Police Department responded to a disturbance call in Green Park. When he arrived at the location, the officer, who had nearly 4 years of law enforcement experience, noticed the subject sitting in the driver’s seat of a vehicle parked across the street from the reported address of the disturbance. Upon initial contact, the subject fired one shot from a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun and struck the officer, who was wearing body armor, in the front of the head at close range. Another police officer was arriving on scene when he heard the gunshot and observed the 33-year-old officer on the ground. The responding officer fired several rounds at the suspect, who then pointed the handgun at the responding officer and shouted that he had a gun. The responding officer continued to fire on the suspect, striking him several times and ending the threat. The 33-year-old wounded officer was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased. The 18-year-old suspect was also taken to a local hospital where he was treated for multiple gunshot wounds to his arms. The man was charged with First-Degree Murder, two counts of Armed Criminal Action, and Second-Degree Attempted Assault on a Law Enforcement Officer. The suspect was a known possessor of drugs and had a criminal history including a drug law violation.
New Mexico
On August 12 around 3:40 p.m., a 33-year-old patrol officer with the Hatch Police Department was fatally wounded while making a traffic stop. The officer, who had more than 2 years of law enforcement experience, had stopped a vehicle with three occupants. As the officer approached the vehicle from the passenger side, one of the occupants shot the officer with a .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun in the neck/throat above his body armor. A second officer pursued the vehicle as it sped from the scene. At one point in the subsequent chase, the suspects’ vehicle stopped at a rest area and one of the suspects carjacked a second vehicle, shooting the car’s owner in the process. Eventually, all three suspects were apprehended. Two of the men were wanted in connection with a murder in Ohio. In addition, 62 grams of methamphetamine were found in the suitcase of one of the suspects. The 38-year-old man who allegedly shot the victim officer was charged with Murder, Possession of a Firearm, Firing Weapon, and Carjacking. He was under the influence of narcotics and on probation at the time of the incidents and had a prior criminal record which included a murder. The victim officer was airlifted to a nearby hospital where he died later that day.
New York
Shortly before 3 p.m. on November 4, a 41-year-old sergeant with the New York Police Department was shot and fatally wounded, and a 30-year-old sergeant was shot and injured during a traffic pursuit and stop. Earlier in the day, around 11:20 a.m., a man forced his way into his estranged wife’s apartment, displayed a firearm, and attempted to forcibly remove their 3-year-old son from the residence. A resident of the home attempted to calm the man for approximately 3 hours before convincing him to leave the premises without the child. Once the man was gone, the woman called 911 and reported the incident. The 41-year-old sergeant, a veteran of law enforcement with nearly 19 years of experience, and another officer began searching for the suspect’s vehicle using details provided by dispatchers. The sergeant and the officer, in a marked police vehicle, spotted the suspect’s vehicle and followed it. The sergeant provided their location to dispatch, allowing other police units to converge on the area. The suspect attempted to evade the pursuing officers by turning onto a succession of streets, but responding officers eventually blocked the suspect’s path with their police vehicles. To avoid the blockade, the suspect attempted a U-turn. However, another police vehicle collided with the rear of the suspect’s vehicle, causing him to lose control and strike a parked dump truck. With the suspect’s vehicle trapped between the dump truck and a police vehicle, responding officers attempted to take him into custody. The sergeant and the officer exited their police vehicle and, along with other officers, approached the suspect’s vehicle. The sergeant, who was wearing body armor, approached the driver’s side of the suspect’s vehicle with his service weapon drawn. Without warning, the suspect shot the sergeant in the left side of the head at close range with a .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun. The suspect fired two more rounds and struck the 30-year-old sergeant, who was also wearing body armor, once in the front below his waist. The 30-year-old sergeant, a veteran of law enforcement with more than 9 years of experience, sustained a graze wound to his left leg. Other officers returned fire, justifiably killing the suspect. With the suspect down, officers requested emergency medical services for the injured officers. Both sergeants were transported to a local hospital where the 41-year-old sergeant succumbed to his wound. The other sergeant was treated for the injury to his leg and released. The 35-year-old suspect was pronounced dead at the scene. He had a prior criminal record which included a drug law violation and an assaulting an officer/resisting arrest charge. At the time this incident was reported to the FBI, the injured sergeant had not returned to duty.
North Carolina
A 38-year-old patrol officer with the Shelby Police Department (SPD) died on September 12 from wounds he suffered during a tactical situation two days earlier. Just before 12:30 a.m. on September 10, the veteran officer, who had more than 12 years of law enforcement experience, was conducting surveillance of a residence to locate the subject of an outstanding warrant for armed robbery. An SPD sergeant aiding with the surveillance from his patrol unit noticed a vehicle leaving the residence and attempted to follow it. The officer, who was still at the surveillance site, informed the sergeant over the radio that the vehicle had returned to the residence. Officers conducting a traffic stop on a nearby street heard gunshots and responded to the area. The officers discovered the unresponsive victim officer, who was wearing body armor, face down on the ground with two gunshot wounds to the front upper torso/chest from a .38-caliber revolver. Both rounds entered above the victim officer’s vest; one entered the right upper chest, and one entered near the collarbone. The trajectory of the rounds suggested that the suspect fired the shots while standing over the officer. A witness confirmed the officer attempted to tackle the suspect, and the suspect fired approximately five rounds from the revolver at the officer while the officer was on the ground. During the struggle, the officer fired one round from his service weapon and struck the suspect; however, the officer’s service weapon malfunctioned as he attempted to fire a second round. Investigators at the scene discovered the victim officer’s flashlight and a magazine from his handgun. A backpack and several items belonging to the suspect were also found at the scene. The victim officer was transported to an area hospital where he succumbed to his wounds two days later. The 23-year-old suspect was arrested 700 miles away in Rhode Island on September 14 and charged with First-Degree Murder. A known drug user, the suspect had a prior criminal record including a violent crime, weapons violation, and an assaulting an officer/resisting arrest charge.
North Dakota
A 33-year-old patrol officer with the Fargo Police Department died on February 11 from wounds he suffered while responding to a domestic violence call the previous day. On February 10 just after 7 p.m., officers arrived at the location referenced in the call. As they established a perimeter around the residence, someone inside opened fire on the officers. The SWAT team responded and alerted neighbors to go to their basements because an armed man in his home was firing on police. At 9:26 p.m., police broadcast an “officer down” call. The patrol officer, a 6-year veteran of law enforcement who was wearing body armor, had been located and had a single gunshot wound from a rifle in the front of his head. Officers continued to hear gunshots, but could not determine the suspect’s location inside the residence. Early the next day, police rammed the west side of the structure with an armored truck and deployed robots to gain entry to the residence. The 49-year-old suspect, who had a prior criminal record including a previous murder, had died at some point during the standoff. At the time this incident was reported to the FBI, the suspect’s cause of death was still unknown. The wounded officer, who had been transported to an area hospital, died the next morning.
Ohio
A 54-year-old police officer with the Columbus Division of Police was fatally wounded during a tactical situation that began late in the evening on April 9 and lasted into the next day. The veteran officer, who had 27 years of law enforcement experience, was part of a SWAT team assigned to execute an arrest warrant for a man who was wanted for aggravated arson. The individual was suspected of starting a fire inside the home of his estranged wife. The SWAT team arrived at the residence and approached the front door. One of them knocked on the door, but did not receive an answer. Officers confirmed that vehicles at the rear of the residence belonged to the subject and verified he was inside the residence. Officers with the negotiation team attempted to communicate with the man over a loudspeaker. They advised him he was under arrest and needed to come out, but he refused to leave the residence. Two SWAT members entered the basement in an attempt to turn off the power to the house. The man heard the officers beneath him, and he started shooting through the floor at them. One of the officers later realized that one of those rounds traveled through his vest, narrowly missing his neck. A SWAT officer then drove an armored vehicle to the rear of the residence. He parked the vehicle and stood, wearing body armor, in the open hatch behind the turret with his rifle pointed toward the residence. Around 2:30 a.m. on April 10, the suspect fired a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun out his back bedroom window in the direction of the armored vehicle. One of the rounds struck the victim officer above his left eye as he stood in the vehicle’s open hatch. Officers removed the victim officer from the armored vehicle, and he was taken to a local hospital. A short time later, the house started burning. After a standoff which lasted several hours, members of the SWAT team arrested the suspect. The victim officer died at the hospital on April 12 from the gunshot wound to the front of his head. The 44-year-old suspect was charged with Aggravated Arson, two counts of Aggravated Murder of a Law Enforcement Officer, four counts of Felony Assault, and four counts of Attempted Murder.
*****
At 10:45 p.m. on January 17, a 34-year-old patrol officer with the Danville Police Department (DPD) was killed in an ambush (entrapment and premeditation). Around 11:20 p.m., a caller advised 911 dispatch that an individual had threatened to kill a cop, and Danville officers were in danger. Dispatchers then attempted to contact the DPD patrol officer several times on his radio and phone, but were unable to reach the veteran officer, who had 12 years of law enforcement experience. Officers responded to the parking lot of the Danville Municipal Building and observed an officer’s hat on the ground and blood on the yellow parking blocks. In the same area, officers located the body of the missing officer. The victim officer, who had been wearing body armor, had suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the rear of the head from a .380-caliber semiautomatic handgun. The victim officer’s vest and duty belt, along with his 9 mm semiautomatic handgun, had been removed and were unaccounted for. The victim officer’s cruiser was also missing. Officers drove around the area searching for the victim officer’s cruiser but were unable to locate the vehicle. They searched the municipal building and cleared it of possible threats, but did find more blood, as well as the officer’s cell phone still in the office. The DPD chief and another officer drove to the officer’s residence (two blocks from the suspect’s house) to pick up the victim officer’s life partner and transport her to a safe location. Around this time, dispatch advised officers a fire had been set at a house, which turned out to be the residence of the suspect’s ex-girlfriend. The officers reported to a house near the ex-girlfriend’s residence to observe. The officers saw the suspect moving around inside the ex-girlfriend’s house. A short time later, the ex-girlfriend exited her house followed closely by the suspect. The DPD chief exited the neighbor’s residence and shouted commands for both individuals to get on the ground. The ex-girlfriend immediately complied, but the suspect fled on foot into the fenced area of a nearby football field. The suspect unsuccessfully attempted to scale the fence and briefly disappeared from the chief’s sight. Moments later, the suspect reappeared and, with his hands in the air, began walking toward the chief. The chief ordered the suspect to get on the ground, and this time, the suspect obeyed. The chief held the suspect at gunpoint until backup arrived and secured the suspect in handcuffs. At that time, the chief noticed the victim officer’s vest and service weapon underneath the bleachers. The 32-year-old suspect, a known drug user and dealer who was under supervision at the time of the incident, had a prior criminal record including a violent crime, drug law violation, weapons violation, and an assaulting an officer/resisting arrest charge. He was arrested and charged with Aggravated Murder, Death of a Specified Law Enforcement Officer, Firearm Law Violation, Grand Theft, and Grand Theft of a Motor Vehicle.
Oregon
A 39-year-old sergeant with the Seaside Police Department (SPD) was fatally shot on February 5, while attempting an arrest. Around 9:20 p.m., the veteran sergeant, who had nearly 13 years of law enforcement experience, and another SPD officer attempted to arrest a subject who was wanted on a felony parole violation warrant. The subject resisted arrest and failed to comply with the officers’ commands to show his hands. The officer used an electronic control weapon to immobilize the subject, who fell to the ground. While on the ground, the subject fired one round from a .380-caliber semiautomatic handgun, which he had concealed in his jacket. The round struck the sergeant in the front lower torso/stomach below his body armor. The other officer returned fire, striking the suspect. Additional officers arrived on the scene, handcuffed the suspect, and removed the concealed handgun from inside the suspect’s left jacket pocket. The sergeant was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injury. The 55-year-old suspect had a prior criminal record, which included a violent crime, weapons violation, drug law violation, and an assaulting an officer/resisting arrest charge. The suspect was a known drug user and was under the influence of narcotics and alcohol at the time of the incident. He was also transported to an area hospital where he died.
Pennsylvania
On November 10, approximately 3:20 a.m., a 52-year-old Canonsburg Police Department (CPD) patrol officer was killed, and a 47-year-old CPD patrol officer was injured, while responding to a domestic violence complaint. The 52-year-old officer, a nearly 8-year veteran of law enforcement, exited his vehicle and walked toward the residence as the 47-year-old officer, a veteran with over 22 years of law enforcement experience, arrived as backup. The 52-year-old officer was shot at from a second floor window with a .30-06 bolt-action rifle and was struck in the front below the waist and fatally in the front lower torso/stomach when the round entered below his body armor. The victim officer was able to fire 15 rounds at the suspect. While still in the patrol vehicle, the assisting officer, who was also wearing body armor, was wounded when one round entered between the side panels of his protective vest and struck him in the rear lower torso/back. A responding CPD sergeant arrived and saw the 52-year-old patrol officer on the ground. He drove his vehicle through the line of fire near the fallen officer and moved the officer partially into the vehicle. A Peters Township Police Department (PTPD) sergeant and a Cecil Township Police Department sergeant arrived to assist the CPD sergeant in getting the 52-year-old victim officer into a patrol vehicle and driving him to a hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries. The CPD sergeant then drove another patrol vehicle through the line of fire to assist the 47-year-old victim officer. The sergeant put the officer into the vehicle and drove him to an ambulance which was located further down the road. The 47-year-old victim officer was transported to a local hospital and was later flown to another hospital for surgery. The PTPD sergeant maintained cover for the other officers. The subject shot at the remaining officers and also fired upon a vehicle parked along the street in front of the residence. It was later discovered the subject had previously loaded the vehicle with gasoline, propane, and acetylene tanks. Although struck at least twice, the vehicle did not ignite. Many local departments, including a SWAT team, arrived and surrounded the residence. Due to the previous explosive device, a robot was used to make entry into the residence where more propane tanks and a lit acetylene torch were discovered. The suspect’s wife was found deceased from multiple gunshot wounds. The 47-year-old subject was found dead. He had committed suicide by shooting himself in the head. At the time this incident was reported to the FBI, the 47-year-old CPD victim officer had not yet returned to duty.
*****
A 23-year-old trooper with the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP), Huntingdon Station, was shot and killed while conducting investigative activity around 6:20 p.m. on December 30. In response to a woman’s complaint that her ex-boyfriend had violated a Protection From Abuse (PFA) court order, the trooper, who had 1 year of law enforcement experience, went to the man’s residence to question him. According to the complaint, the man had allegedly left several gifts inside the woman’s vehicle at her place of employment, which violated the no-contact clause of the PFA order. The trooper, who was wearing body armor, entered the residence, began questioning the man, and then asked him to step outside onto the porch to discuss the matter further. According to the subject’s mother, who was in the residence at the time, the man asked the trooper if he could get a cigarette from his bedroom before they went outside. The man went to his bedroom, and the trooper met him in the hallway as he came out. They proceeded to exit the residence, first the trooper and then the man, with the man’s mother following behind. As they exited, the man’s mother saw her son pull a weapon from his waistband area, and she yelled at him. The trooper turned, and the subject shot the trooper in the head with a .32-caliber semiautomatic handgun. The victim trooper was fatally wounded in both the front and rear of his head. The subject’s mother then fled the scene with her boyfriend, who had been in the basement and reported the shooting. The subject later fled the scene on foot before authorities could apprehend him. Around 9:45 a.m. the next day, as members of the PSP Special Emergency Response Team were clearing the crime scene, members of the PSP Troop G worked to clear nearby structures and found the subject hiding in an unoccupied camper approximately ¼ mile from the scene. Upon making verbal contact with the suspect, troopers could not get him to comply with their commands. When the suspect made a move to come out of the camper toward the troopers with a firearm in his right hand, he was justifiably killed. The 32-year-old offender, who was on probation at the time of the incident, had a prior criminal record which included a violent crime.
South Carolina
Just before 12:30 p.m. on March 18, a 28-year-old patrol officer with the Greenville Police Department made contact with a subject, during an investigative activity, in reference to his involvement in an ongoing firearm investigation. The patrol officer, who had more than 4 years of law enforcement experience, was alongside another officer as they made field contact with the subject. The officers were familiar with the man from previous encounters, including an arrest. As the officers began to question the subject, he fled. Both officers pursued the subject and as the 28-year-old patrol officer rounded the corner of a residence, the subject fired seven rounds from a .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun, striking the officer five times. The victim officer was wounded in the front upper torso/chest (the round entered through the armhole or shoulder area of his body armor), his arms/hands, the front below his waist, and fatally in the side of his head. The accompanying officer radioed for assistance and began CPR. The victim officer was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased. The suspect fled the scene and responding officers established a perimeter. Two citizens provided information about the direction in which the subject fled, and a detective located him a short time later with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. The 17-year-old suspect was declared dead at the scene and was found to have a prior criminal record including a violent crime, weapons violation, and drug law violation. He was a known drug dealer, user, and possessor, and was under the influence of narcotics at the time of the incident.
Tennessee
Around 2 p.m. on August 9, a 35-year-old special agent with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation was shot and killed while working a drug-related undercover operation in Jackson. The agent, a veteran with nearly 11 years of law enforcement experience, was with a confidential informant preparing to buy an ounce of cocaine for $975 from a suspected drug dealer. During the course of the attempted buy, the suspected drug dealer produced a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun and fatally shot the victim special agent in the rear upper torso/back in an apparent attempt to rob him of the money. The 23-year-old suspect, who had a prior criminal record including a violent crime, weapons violation, and drug law violation, was arrested and charged with First-Degree Felony Murder.
*****
A 32-year-old officer with the Maryville Police Department (MPD) was shot and killed on August 25, as the result of an ambush (entrapment and premeditation). The 9-year veteran officer was responding to a domestic disturbance call with a deputy sheriff from the Blount County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO). The officers arrived at the residence around 3:40 p.m., and a man met them as they were exiting their patrol unit and told them his son was on the premises, armed, and had tried to shoot him. Within a few minutes, shots were fired as the suspect apparently opened fire on his father and the two officers. The BCSO deputy radioed to dispatch shots had been fired and advised the MPD officer had been shot. The victim officer was fatally struck in the neck/throat above his body armor by a round from a .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun. Shortly after the victim officer was shot, the suspect emerged from the garage basement of the residence and began walking toward his father, the MPD victim officer, and the BCSO deputy with his firearm pointed at his own head. A second BCSO deputy, who had arrived on the scene, observed the armed suspect walking rapidly towards the three men. This deputy discharged several rounds at the suspect in hopes of stopping his advance on the others. As the second BCSO deputy fired rounds, the first BCSO deputy left his position and tackled the suspect. The 44-year-old suspect was immediately disarmed and taken into custody. The victim officer was taken to a nearby medical center where he died later that day. The suspect, who had a prior criminal record, was charged with Criminal Homicide, two counts of Aggravated Assault, and two counts of Aggravated Assault (Prior to Law Enforcement Officer Arrival).
*****
A 46-year-old patrol officer with the Memphis Police Department was killed on June 4 in an unprovoked attack. Shortly before 10 p.m., officers had responded to a shooting at a restaurant and found two men critically injured. While the officers were on the scene, a second call was received regarding a shooting about two blocks away from the first incident. Soon after, a uniformed officer made visual contact with the suspect of both shootings. The suspect was in a stolen vehicle; a high-speed chase began and reached well over 100 miles per hour. The suspect was headed toward a crowded intersection known for its foot traffic. The 46-year-old officer, a veteran with nearly 18 years of law enforcement experience, heard the radio transmission regarding the chase. He ran to the intersection and was clearing the street of pedestrians when he was fatally struck by the suspect’s speeding vehicle. The victim officer, who was wearing body armor, suffered multiple injuries. The officer was taken to a local hospital where he died. The suspect continued to flee until he crashed the vehicle. A brief foot pursuit and struggle followed, which resulted in responding officers using an electronic control weapon on the 21-year-old suspect. The suspect, who had a prior criminal record including a violent crime and weapons violation, was arrested and charged with First-Degree Murder, Vehicular Homicide, three counts of Criminal Attempt First-Degree Murder, Reckless Driving, Theft of Property ($10,000 to $60,000), and Intentionally Evading Arrest in a Motor Vehicle.
Texas
Five law enforcement officers were killed and 11 were injured in an ambush (entrapment and premeditation) shortly before 9 p.m. on July 7 in Dallas. Officers from the Dallas Police Department (DPD) and the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Police Department (DART PD) were working traffic control for a protest march in downtown Dallas. A senior corporal and two officers with the DPD were stationed at a roadblock at an intersection. After the marchers passed them, a man sitting in a vehicle nearby opened fire on the officers with a 5.45x39 mm semiautomatic rifle. All three law enforcement officers were fatally wounded. The 48-year-old senior corporal, a 14-year veteran of law enforcement, sustained injuries to his front lower torso/stomach, front below the waist, arms/hands, and fatally, to his front upper torso/chest. A 40-year-old veteran officer who had nearly 9 years of law enforcement experience was wounded in the front lower torso/stomach, front below waist, arms/hands, and mortally in the front upper torso/chest. The third victim officer, who was 32 years old and a law enforcement veteran with 6 years of experience, was shot in the front lower torso/stomach and fatally in his front upper torso/chest. Both the 40-year-old and the 32-year-old victim officers were wearing body armor, but the rounds exceeded their vests’ specifications. The subject continued firing his weapon, wounding several other DPD officers and two civilians. From the opposite direction, a veteran officer with the DART PD shot at the subject, striking him with three rounds; however, the subject turned and opened fire at him from close range. The 43-year-old DART PD officer, who had 13 years of law enforcement experience and was wearing body armor, was shot in the front upper torso/chest, rear upper torso/back, front lower torso/stomach, rear below his waist, front below his waist, and fatally in the side of his head.
Additional officers arrived at the scene, including members of the Dallas County Community College Police Department. They exchanged gunfire with the subject, who wounded more officers. The man entered a building in a nearby college and moved up to the second floor. From a window on the second floor, the subject fired at officers below. A 55-year-old sergeant with the DPD was struck in the front upper torso/chest, front lower torso/stomach, front below waist, and arms/hands. The veteran sergeant, who had nearly 27 years of law enforcement experience, died from wounds to the front upper torso/chest from rounds that penetrated his body armor because they exceeded the vest’s specifications.
Officers who had followed after the man into the building and up to the second floor chased him through several long hallways, at times exchanging gunfire, until the subject stopped and waited in a tactical position. After hours of failed negotiations, officers used an explosive device and the 25-year-old suspect was killed. The suspect had no known criminal record and was under the influence of narcotics at the time of the incident.
*****
A 45-year-old patrol officer with the El Paso Police Department died from injuries he sustained in an unprovoked attack on March 10. Around 3:15 p.m., the patrol officer, a veteran of law enforcement who had 16 years of experience, was on his police motorcycle stopped at a red light behind two other vehicles. Without warning, a vehicle rammed his motorcycle from behind and continued into the vehicles in front of the motorcycle. The force of the crash threw the patrol officer over the vehicle in front of him and onto the tailgate of the lead vehicle. The victim officer, who was wearing body armor at the time of the incident, and the driver of the vehicle that hit him were taken to a local hospital. The vehicle’s driver was treated and released. On March 14, the victim officer died from the multiple injuries he received. Investigators later learned the driver had deliberately rammed the officer’s motorcycle. Police filed a warrant for his arrest. On March 23, officers with the Merkel City Police Department arrested the 45-year-old offender and charged him with Capital Murder and Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle; the vehicle he used in the attack belonged to the offender’s sister and he had taken it without her permission. The offender was a known drug user and had a prior criminal record which included a violent crime and an assaulting an officer/resisting arrest charge.
*****
On March 1, a 29-year-old senior police officer with the Euless Police Department (EPD) was killed after responding to a disturbance call with possible shots fired. Just before 3 p.m., two officers were dispatched to the call at a local park. The 29-year-old EPD officer, a veteran with more than 7 years of law enforcement experience, was on patrol and responded to the call as an additional unit. As the officer, who was wearing body armor, approached a creek in the park, the suspect opened fire with a .45-caliber semiautomatic weapon. The officer was struck in the front of the head. The suspect then began firing at the other two officers on scene. The officers encouraged the suspect to surrender, but instead, he positioned himself beside of the motionless victim officer and continued to fire. Additional officers arrived with sniper rifles and observed through their scopes that the victim officer appeared to be gravely injured. One of the officers fired two rounds at the suspect with the scoped rifle. The suspect stopped shooting and assisting officers were then able to safely respond to the injured officer and suspect. The senior police officer succumbed to his injury later that day. The 22-year-old suspect had been justifiably killed. The suspect was under the influence of narcotics at the time of the incident and had a prior criminal record including a violent crime, drug law violation, weapons violation, and an assaulting an officer/resisting arrest charge.
*****
A 50-year-old detective with the San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) was shot and killed in an ambush (entrapment and premeditation) in front of police headquarters around 11:45 a.m. on November 20. Moments prior to the incident, the detective, a veteran of law enforcement who had nearly 21 years of experience, had stopped a vehicle for a traffic violation on the street in front of the police department. As the detective sat in his patrol unit handling matters associated with the traffic stop, a vehicle pulled up behind him. A man exited the vehicle, ran up to the passenger-side door of the patrol unit, and fatally shot the detective in the back of his head with a .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun. The subject then reached in and fired a second shot into the side of the victim detective’s head before retreating to his vehicle and fleeing the area. The SAPD used surveillance video from its building to request assistance from the community in identifying the vehicle and its owner. The next day, the SAPD received a tip on the suspect’s identity. Working with the U.S. Marshal’s Service, authorities tracked the suspect’s telephone and found his last call was to his girlfriend. In response to information about the suspect’s identity, his girlfriend’s identity, and a description of the girlfriend’s vehicle, authorities spotted the vehicle that afternoon at a nearby gas station. Soon after, SAPD SWAT officers conducted a tactical vehicle stop as the suspect and his girlfriend were leaving the gas station. Officers apprehended the suspect, who had a prior criminal record which included a violent crime, weapons violation, and drug law violation. The 31-year-old offender was arrested and charged with Capital Murder. During a custodial interview, the man confessed to shooting and killing the detective.
Utah
Shortly before 10 a.m. on January 17, a 44-year-old officer with the Unified Police Department of Greater Salt Lake was shot and killed while investigating a traffic accident, and a 51-year-old officer was injured while attempting an arrest. The 44-year-old officer, an 18-year veteran of law enforcement, reported to the location of the accident where at least one man had fled the scene. The officer, who was wearing body armor, located a potential suspect and informed dispatch he was going to make contact with the man. Minutes later, the 51-year-old officer, a 32-year veteran of law enforcement, arrived on scene with two other officers and discovered the first officer on the ground with a gunshot wound to the front of his head from a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun. The victim officer’s service weapon was still in its holster. The three officers followed footprints to a nearby residence where they located the suspect standing in the front yard. The officers exchanged gunfire with the suspect, and the second victim officer, who was also wearing body armor, was struck in the front below the waist and rear below the waist (in both legs). During the exchange of gunfire, the suspect was also struck and justifiably killed at the scene. Both victim officers were transported to a nearby hospital, where the 44-year-old officer succumbed to his injury. The 51-year-old officer recovered from his injuries, but at the time the incident was reported to the FBI, he had not yet returned to duty. The 31-year-old suspect had a prior criminal record including a violent crime, weapons violation, and drug law violation. He was on parole at the time of the incident.
*****
A 25-year-old police officer with the West Valley City Police Department was killed on November 6, when he was intentionally struck by a vehicle while he was responding to an ongoing traffic pursuit. At 3:25 a.m., the officer, who had nearly 3 years of law enforcement experience, responded to assist other officers who were pursuing a stolen vehicle. The officer, who was in radio contact with the pursuing officers, pulled his patrol unit over to an area on the roadway approximately ½ mile ahead of the fleeing vehicle. With visual confirmation of the oncoming vehicle, the officer walked into the roadway and deployed a tire deflation device into the intended path of the car. As the officer, who was wearing body armor, exited the roadway to a position of cover, the suspect steered the vehicle into the opposite lane, then into a turning lane, and struck the victim officer with the vehicle. The suspect briefly continued to drive, dragging the officer until the vehicle left the roadway and came to a stop in an open area on the roadside. The three occupants of the stolen vehicle fled on foot towards an adjacent residential community. Responding officers located the suspects in the neighborhood shortly after the incident. The victim officer sustained fatal injuries. The 15-year-old suspect had a prior criminal record which included a violent crime. He was charged with Murder with Gang Enhancement, Vehicle Theft, Failure to Stop at the Command of a Law Enforcement Officer, and Obstruction of Justice.
Virginia
Around 2:40 p.m. on March 31, a 37-year-old trooper with the Virginia State Police, Hanover Detachment, was shot and killed while investigating a suspicious person. The trooper, who was a veteran of law enforcement with 14 years’ experience, was participating in training to conduct drug interdiction at a bus terminal in Richmond. As he talked with a man standing just inside the front doors, the man pulled out a .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun and shot the trooper several times in the front upper torso/chest at close range. The man continued firing his weapon, and troopers who were nearby returned fire. The man was injured in the exchange of gunfire, and troopers were able to place him under arrest. He continued to be combative with the arresting officers as well as emergency personnel who tried to render him aid. Both the victim trooper and the subject were taken to a local hospital, and both died later that day. The 34-year-old subject had a prior criminal record which included a murder, weapons violation, drug law violation, and an assaulting an officer/resisting arrest charge.
*****
Shortly after 5:30 p.m. on February 27, a 28-year-old police officer with the Prince William County Police Department (PWCPD) was mortally wounded, and two other PWCPD officers were injured while responding to a domestic disturbance call placed by a woman. A 31-year-old veteran officer, with more than 8 years of law enforcement experience, arrived at the residence and asked the man about the whereabouts of his wife, who had placed the call. The man advised his wife was no longer there and then he attempted to close the door; however, the officer blocked the door with his foot and tried to force his way into the residence to investigate. Moments after the initial contact, a 33-year-old veteran officer, who had nearly 10 years of law enforcement experience, and the 28-year-old officer, who was in training with 3 months of law enforcement experience, arrived at the scene to assist. During the veteran officers’ attempt to force open the door, the suspect retrieved a 7.62x39 mm semiautomatic rifle and opened fire from the partially opened door. All three officers were wearing body armor, but their close proximity to the door gave them no response time. The 31-year-old victim officer was struck in the front below his waist, and the 28-year-old victim officer was struck in her rear upper torso/back by gunfire, which entered the armhole/shoulder area of her body armor, and in the rear below her waist. These two victim officers dragged themselves to vehicles parked nearby where they took cover and radioed for assistance. The third victim officer, the 33-year-old, was unable to move more than 10 feet from the door due to his injuries. He had been shot in his front upper torso/chest, the front below his waist, and his arms/hands. Responding officers provided field trauma treatment on all three victim officers before they were transported to a nearby trauma center via helicopter. The 28-year-old victim officer succumbed to the injury she received to her rear upper torso/back while in surgery. The two veteran officers survived their injuries. Meanwhile, the suspect surrendered after being challenged by additional responding officers and was taken into custody. During a subsequent security sweep of the residence, the suspect’s wife was located in an upstairs bedroom deceased after being shot multiple times with a handgun. Allegedly, the suspect knew his wife had contacted law enforcement during their verbal altercation, and he shot her with his handgun. He then staged his rifle at the front door and waited for police to arrive. The 32-year-old suspect was arrested and charged with Capital Murder of a Law Enforcement Officer, First-Degree Murder, two counts of Malicious Wounding of a Law Enforcement Officer, and two counts of Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Felony. He had a prior criminal record which included a violent crime. At the time this incident was reported to the FBI, the two surviving officers had not returned to duty.
Wisconsin
On October 29, just before 11 p.m., a 33-year-old deputy sheriff with the Rusk County Sheriff’s Office was shot and killed in an ambush (entrapment and premeditation) in Conrath. The veteran deputy, who had 10 years of law enforcement experience, noticed a vehicle driving erratically in a field of crops. The deputy drove his patrol unit into the field and attempted to contact the driver of the vehicle. As the deputy approached, the suspect drove further into the crops. The deputy activated his patrol unit’s overhead lights and radioed for backup. The vehicle was approximately 160 yards away when the driver turned it around and faced the deputy’s patrol unit. Without warning, the driver fired six rounds from a .25-06 bolt-action rifle at the deputy. All six rounds hit the deputy’s patrol unit. One of the rounds entered the vehicle and fatally struck the deputy in the front of his head. Another round exceeded the specifications of the deputy’s body armor and hit him in the front lower torso/stomach. Unable to reach the victim deputy on the radio, dispatchers called for backup. The responding deputies arrived at the field and located the victim deputy in his patrol unit. Before the deputies could extract him, the suspect began shooting at them from his nearby residence. The deputies retreated and waited for the SWAT team to arrive. When the SWAT officers arrived, they removed the victim deputy from his patrol unit. During the ensuing 12-hour standoff, the suspect occasionally fired upon the SWAT officers. Eventually, the SWAT officers took the 43-year-old suspect into custody. The suspect, a known drug possessor and user, was under the influence of narcotics and was on probation at the time of the incident. He had a prior criminal record including a violent crime, drug law violation, and an assaulting an officer/resisting arrest charge. He was arrested on October 30 and charged with First-Degree Intentional Homicide and Attempted First-Degree Intentional Homicide.
